The House of Lords is the upper-chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest institutions in the world, its origins lie in the early 11th century and the emergence of bicameralism in the 13th crntury.
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In contrast to the House of Commons, membership of the Lords is not generally acquired by election. Most members are appointed for life, on either political or non-political basis. Hereditary membership was abolished in 1999, save for 92 excepted hereditary peers; 90 elected through internal by-election, plus the Earl Marshal and Lord Great Chamberlain as members ex officio. No members directly inherit their seats any longer. The House of Lords also includes up to 26 archbishops and bishops of the Church of England, known as Lords Spiritual. Since 2014, membership may be voluntarily relinquished or terminated upon expulsion.
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As the upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords has similar functions with the House of Commons. It scrutinizes bills, hold government to account, and considers and reports upon public policy. Peers may also seek to introduce legislation or propose amendments to bills. While it is unable to prevent bills from passing into law, except in certain limited circumstances, it may delay the passage of a bill up to one year. In this capacity, as a body independent from the pressures of the political process, the House of Lords is said to act as a "revising chamber" focusing on legislative details, while occasionally ask the House of Commons to reconsider its plans.
While peers may also serve as government ministers, they are typically only selected to serve as junior ministers. The House of Lords does not control the term of the Prime Minister or of the government; only the Commons may vote to require the prime minister to resign or call an election. Unlike the House of Commons, which has a defined number of seats, the members of the House of Lords is not fixed. Currently, it has 784 sitting members. The House of Lords is the only upper house of any bicameral parliament in the world to be larger than its lower house, and is the second-largest legislative house in the world, behind the National People's Congress of China.
The King's Speech is delivered in the House of Lords chamber during the State Opening of Parliament. In addition to its role as the upper house, the House of Lords, through the Law Lords, acted as the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom judicial system until a separate Supreme Court was established in 2009. The House of Lords also has a Church of England role, in that Church Measures must be tabled within the House by the Lords Spiritual.
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